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Thin Films Laboratory

For over two decades, the Thin Films Laboratory (TFL) at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI) has been a leader in innovative material research and development for solar energy converter systems. Specifically, the TFL groundbreaking approach in material R&D allowed for a better understanding of the fundamental properties of numerous photovoltaic technologies, including amorphous silicon and polycrystalline copper-indium-gallium-diselenide (CIGSe) alloys. Aside from “conventional” PV systems, HNEI-TFL research activity also comprises the discovery of new photo-catalytic materials capable of direct conversion of sunlight into usable chemical energy, a.k.a. “Solar Fuels”, with focus on solar-driven water splitting for hydrogen production.

The Thin Films Lab is a unique facility at HNEI, situated with sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment for the fabrication of thin film materials and devices, including co-evaporation chambers, sputtering systems and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition devices.

The research team at TFL is also actively participating in the development of new low-cost synthesis protocols as a substitution to high temperature/vacuum based thin films deposition techniques. The recent introduction of chemistry in solar cell manufacturing was undoubtedly a game changer in material design and could potentially reduce cell production costs. After two decades of R&D in vacuum-based thin film material synthesis, HNEI TFL is now taking a step further toward chemical-based solar cell manufacturing.